BRADENTON BEACH – The Manatee County Commission is providing up to $850,000 in matching funds for Bradenton Beach’s dock expansion project.
The county commission approved the city’s funding request on Tuesday, June 8. The county funds will be provided using county tourist tax revenues generated by the 5% tourist tax levied on hotel, motel and vacation rental stays in Manatee County. The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will pay the city’s share of the dock expansion project costs.
In anticipation of the county’s support, the CRA members recently selected Duncan Seawall, Dock and Boat Lift to install the fingers docks to be purchased from Golden Marine Systems.
The finger docks will extend perpendicular to the floating dock installed in 2019, and the floating dock will be extended to the east to accommodate additional finger docks. Duncan will also construct the new dinghy dock that will replace the aging dinghy dock near the entrance to the Bridge Street Pier.
Duncan’s bid came in at approximately $616,000 to $624,000, depending on some additional piling options included in the proposal. Duncan’s bid does not include any additional work on the showers or restrooms.
When presenting the funding request to county commissioners, Mayor John Chappie said the finger docks would increase public dockage near the Bridge Street Pier from seven spaces to 26 or 27 spaces. The existing and soon-to-be-expanded docking facilities are free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and overnight docking is not allowed.
Chappie said the matching funds would also be used to renovate the existing public shower facilities and increase the size of the public restrooms, and to create a terminal-like area at the entrance to the pier for the Old Town Tram parking shuttles that service the CRA district.
Chappie also mentioned the possibility of a water taxi service one day running from downtown Bradenton to Bradenton Beach.
“There’s been a lot of discussion over the years with regards to a water taxi. Bradenton Beach could be a stop for the water taxi. There will be a space available for that as well,” he said.
County support
“This project is exactly what the county needs because it’s beneficial to all residents of the county,” District 3 County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “You’re inviting day trippers to come by boat to dock at Bridge Street. They can patronize the businesses on Bridge Street, and the Island is thin there, so people will easily be able to access the beach from that point. It’s a great way to bring additional visitors into your city without having a major impact on your residents. I’m very pleased with the relationship we have with Bradenton Beach and their efforts to try and be as inclusive as they can, knowing they’re a destination city.”
Commissioner George Kruse then said, “I love this. This is such a great idea and I’m 100% in support of this. This is needed and I appreciate it.”
Commissioner Carol Whitmore noted the county also provided matching funds for the installation of the floating dock.
“This all ties in, we’re just adding more capacity. This is what the tourist tax is about. If we do a water taxi and people are staying in Bradenton they can hop on the (water) taxi at Pier 22 and come on out,” Whitmore said.
“The water taxi would start in downtown Bradenton, utilizing the parking garage,” Chappie said, expressing hope that this might help reduce the number of cars coming to Anna Maria Island.
Regarding the long-desired water taxi service, Commission Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh said, “That should have been done years ago.”
Regarding the dock expansion project, Baugh said, “It’s a great project – and what makes it so great is that the county and the city are working together to make this happen.”
Commissioner Misty Servia chairs the TDC board that serves as a recommending body to the county commission. She noted the TDC board supports the project and the funding request, as does she.
Commissioner James Satcher liked the project so much that he proposed increasing the county funding.
“We should increase it by $282,000. He’s got other things he’s planning on doing, plus he’s got the water taxi,” Satcher said.
Satcher did not provide any documentation to support his proposed $282,000 funding increase.
“That’s not how this works,” Kruse emphatically said of Satcher’s suggestion.
County Attorney Bill Clague advised the commission to simply approve or reject each funding request cited in the proposed county ordinance that also included separate funding requests from the cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.
“I have to advise you against trying to move dollars around. I would ask that you just vote each of these up or down,” Clague said.
Van Ostenbridge made a motion to approve the Bradenton Beach funding request as presented and he rejected Satcher’s efforts to amend the motion to increase it by $282,000. The commission unanimously supported Van Ostenbridge’s motion.
